1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to protective wear such as gas masks. More particularly, it relates to a protective hood having a visor that may be extended into a position for accommodating the head of a user wearing spectacles and retracted into a position close to the user's eyes to increase the field of vision.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexible hoods that receive the entire head of a user and which are equipped with filters to protect the wearer from toxins, germs, and the like that may be in the ambient air external to the hood have several drawbacks.
For example, some hoods lack sufficient interior space to comfortably accommodate spectacles, goggles, and the like that may be worn by a user. It is not an acceptable solution to make all flexible hoods of sufficient size to accommodate spectacles, however, because a one-size-fits-all hood would be too large for a user who does not wear spectacles. A hood that is too large decreases the field of vision of the wearer, creating tunnel vision because the user's eyes are spaced far rearwardly of the visor. Ideally, the user's eyes should be positioned near the visor when the hood is in use to thereby maximize the user's field of vision.
Another drawback relates to the creases formed in a conventional full hood visor when it is folded over for storage where the visor abuts the filter or filters mounted below the visor.
What is needed, then, is a visor that accommodates users wearing spectacles, goggles, and the like and users not wearing such items, and which provides to both classes of users an optimal field of vision.
A need also exists for a flexible hood construction that enables the hood to be folded for storage purposes without causing creasing of the visor by the filter or filters.
However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art how the identified needs could be met.